The Ultimate in Alpine Luxury

If you’re looking ahead to a winter escape, you should certainly keep an eye on what’s happening in the Alps. The home of winter tourism – last season marked  the 150^th anniversary of Alpine tourism – keeps developing, adding fantastic quality dining, spa and entertainment facilities for the skiing elite. Now is just the time to pick your luxury winter hotel & winter chalet and make a few plans for winter 2015-16.

Here are five Alpine hotspots that hit the peaks of excellence.

1 –  L’Apogée Courchevel, Courchevel 1850, French Alps

Opened in 2013 – at the top of the resort’s former ski-jump –  L’Apogée Courchevel lives up to its name, which means the highest point or climax.

It is the work of the prestigious Oetker Collection Hotels, who have luxury properties wherever the jet set lay their expensive chapeaus. Their ski resort lives up to the standards set by the likes of Le Bristol in Paris, Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc at Cap d’Antibes or the carribean favorite destination of the rich and famous, the legendary Eden Rock on the island of St. Barths.

Chief among its many attractions is a top-of-the-range spa with six treatment rooms, a pool that is surely one of the best in the Alps, hydrotherapy, a salt cave, gym, Sisley treatments, and much much more: 170 staff are on hand to serve 55 guest rooms and suites as well as a private chalet next door, french designers India Mahdavi and Joseph Dirand opted for muted colours and touches of fur to decorate the rooms…

The dining and drinking – there’s a champagne bar, a cigar’s lounge and restaurant Le Comptoir L’Apogée, offering spectacular views overlooking the slopes thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass windows – are superb, as you would expect in Courchevel 1850 (the village already has seven Michelin-starred restaurants); everything is ski-in/ski-out, including a luxury chalet.

2 – The Chedi Andermatt, Andermatt, Swiss Alps

The Chedi Andermatt is the work of Egyptian billionaire, Samih Sawiris, and brings a touch of the opulence of the likes of Dubai to an Alpine setting.

Andermatt has some of the best skiing in the entire Alps, but until recently didn’t have the luxury facilities to match its rival resorts. The Chedi is part of a £1-billion investment that’s starting to change that.

Its 105 rooms keep the Asian influences subtle, reflecting too the classic Alpine look of wood and stone, including a 90-foot granite bar. There are nearly 200 fireplaces in the hotel. Rooms – which are enormous – are controlled by iPads.

Local and Asian cuisines are also subtly mixed in the restaurant. But you couldn’t get more Swiss than a cheese-tasting room. Fantastic spa facilities are an added bonus.

The Chedi may be slightly ahead of its host resort, but when Andermatt catches up – as it’s starting to do – it will be a luxury force to be reckoned with.

3 – Hotel Aurelio Lech, Lech, Austrian Alps

In the Austrian resort of Lech am Arlberg, since centuries the favorite ski spot for the Dutch royal family, the Hotel Aurelio Lech is probably the country’s best ski hotel and spa.

Every room is individually designed, and makes the most of its fantastic mountain setting. One spa wasn’t enough for the Aurelio, who give you a choice of two, with a holistic day spa including yoga and complementary therapies. The first uses Ligne St. Barth and Dr. Barbara Sturm products.

If you’re looking for one of the best perches in the Alps, head for the Sun Deck, sit back, order a 100-year old brandy from the cellar and reflect on your fine taste in hotels.

4– Vigilius Mountain Resort, Vigiljoch Mountain, Lana, Italian Alps

You’ll need a cable car to ascend the 1,500 meters to the Viglius Mountain Resort, but it’s a journey that’s well worth making.

There’s been a conscious effort to use natural materials while maintaining a modern, minimalist cutting edge to this fabulous property from Tablet.

The location is a big part of the attraction – many Alpine hotels have great mountain views, few are actually on the top of a mountain – and the rooms all make the most of this dramatic perch.

Clever design keeps the hotel very green, and the spa focusses on the natural too, with a centerpiece treatment that’s a local specialty, the hay bath!

The cuisine is both Italian and Alpine, served in two beautiful restaurants, one exclusively for guests.

The service and experience as well as the location make guests feel on top of the world.

5 – La Réserve Genève, Geneva, Switzerland

Down from the mountain tops, La Réserve Genève is a luxury palace in Geneva.

With four restaurants, two pools and five stars, the place has all the right numbers.

A massive spa (2,000 m2) includes 11 treatment rooms as well as saunas, steam baths and a hammam. The dining is Mediterranean and Chinese inspired, and DJs spin tunes in the stylish lounge every night.

You’ll be treated like a star at La Réserve Genève, and you’ll probably see some real life movers and shakers, perhaps on their way to a ski break in the Alps.

Finest Holidays can organize your stay at these fabulous Alpine hotels and resorts. We also have a wonderful selection of exclusive luxury winter chalets in all the best ski resorts in Europe and around the world. We’re luxury travel specialists and we’d love to speak to you to design your exclusive winter chalet break for 2015-2016. Call us now on +34 971 13 15 41 to start climbing your Alpine heights.